Another surprise!

Last night’s phone call should not have been a surprise; we have been praying for our nephew for years, but I was surprised when my brother called. Of all my unsaved relatives, his oldest son, who is just over 40, seemed the least interested in spiritual things. He has been aloof, quiet, even passive in some ways. Yet circumstances in his life turned him toward spiritual counsel and as a result, last week he gave his life to Jesus. I wept.

Actually, my first response was a shout of praise, but after I got off the phone I wept with joy. Then I laughed. I’m still ecstatic with excitement. God can surprise me anytime He wants!

The Bible reading today was also about a surprise. Abraham and Sarah were promised a son, but when Abraham was 100 years old and his wife not far behind him, this seemed totally impossible. Then, “The Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him . . . Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, ‘God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.’”

Can anyone imagine her surprise; pregnant and in her nineties? But their age was not a problem for God. He came for a visit, touched their bodies in some mysterious way, and she conceived. Even more astounding, Sarah carried that baby to full term. Isaac (whose name means he laughs) was born healthy and strong, and why not? God was in this. He can do whatever He wants.

My devotional book talks about their faith. Before, when they were young, they could easily believe God’s promise. Then, it was “God-plus-Abraham” that could make it happen. However, as the years went by, the possibility of a son diminished. By the time they reached this advanced age, there was nothing else for them to believe in except God. They could not, in themselves, hope to make it happen.

The reading says that faith is easier when there is nothing left to trust but God. At first I thought the opposite, but after considering it, I agree. When life’s conditions look as if things will work out the way I am praying, I’m not putting my faith in God but in those conditions. It is only when there is nothing else, no hope in my own actions, or the actions of others, or promising circumstances, that I’ve nothing to trust but God alone, and that is when He comes along with His surprises.

Does being surprised indicate that I was not really trusting Him either? No, I don’t think so. I truly believe God can do anything. When I pray, I expect Him to answer, even if He says no. The surprise happens because He always comes up with answers at a time I’m not expecting it, or by using a method I’ve never thought of or imagined.

Now our prayers for our nephew have changed. Instead of asking for his salvation, I am asking that God increases his knowledge and love for Him, that he will walk worthy of the new life he has, and that the Holy Spirit will produces an abundance of spiritual fruit in his life. Because Jesus now lives in him, answers to these prayers will not surprise me at all.